Flanagan beats Craig by wide margin

Despite nearly $10 million in outside money for Craig, voters choose the more progressive candidate

Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan is the Democratic nominee for Senate. 

She will face off against former sports broadcaster Michele Tafoya come November to fill the seat being vacated by Sen. Tina Smith. Flanagan bested Rep. Angie Craig in a contentious DFL primary that saw millions in outside PAC dollars being spent to secure the nomination. 

Both Flanagan and Craig ran campaigns that appealed to the left of the party, touting their stances on immigration and opposition to the Trump administration, but it was Craig’s votes in the House – particularly her vote to support the Laken Riley Act – that dogged her throughout the primary. 

Minnesota’s lieutenant governor prevailed by north of 130,000 votes despite Craig benefiting from nearly $10 million in outside PAC money. 

“For months I have been telling you that this campaign is about the many versus the money,” said Flanagan in her victory speech at First Avenue in Minneapolis. “Well guess what? The many won.” 

After the race was called, Craig offered her support to Flangan on social media.

Klobuchar frontrunner to become Minnesota’s next governor

Minnesota’s entire Senate delegation will look different come January. That’s because Sen. Amy Klobuchar is now the Democratic nominee for governor. 

Klobuchar easily won Tuesday’s DFL primary and will face the GOP nominee, Minnesota House Speaker Lisa Demuth, come November. Demuth prevailed despite a challenge from a President Trump backed candidate, the infamous “My Pillow Guy,” Mike Lindell. 

“Minnesotans expect leaders who deliver results, not excuses. That’s what I’ve done as your Senator, and that’s what I will do as your next governor,” said Klobuchar in a statement. 

Because Klobuchar will vacate the seat she held, the incoming governor, which could be Klobuchar, will select who will join the Senate. Craig too, vacated the seat she held. DFLer Matt Little, a former state senator, prevailed in yesterday’s primary and will face off against Republican nominee, State Sen. Eric Pratt. 

Congresswoman Ilhan Omar has secured the Democratic nomination for reelection for the 5th District and will take on Republican John Nagel.

Minnesota’s Atty. Gen. Keith Ellison easily advanced to the November general election, where he will face Republican Ron Schutz. 

Minnesotans made their voices heard Aug. 11 in statewide primaries. Photo: Becca Gilbuena

In Hennepin County, Cedrick Frazier secured a majority of the votes in the race to become the next county attorney. Frazier, a progressive much in the vein of outgoing county attorney, Mary Moriarty, finished more than 32,000 votes higher than his closest competitor, Anders Folk. Both will advance to the November general election. Frazier has campaigned on continuing to hold the Trump administration accountable for harms caused by Operation Metro Surge. That could lead to charges in the killings of Minnesota residents Renee Good and Alex Pretti. 

Rep. María Isa Pérez-Vega will advance to the November general election and face off against St. Paul Councilwoman Rebecca Noecker in the nonpartisan race to become Ramsey County commissioner in District 5. The two finished separated by just a few hundred votes in yesterday’s contest.

DOJ “observers” on the ground

In a tactic that some are calling voter intimidation, so-called DOJ observers were on the ground in the Twin Cities.

“The DOJ is committed to nondiscriminatory monitoring throughout the primary and general election seasons,” said Asst. Atty. Gen. Harmeet Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. 

It’s not sure of the role of the observers, but a couple of the DOJ officials were documented interacting with an election judge in Minneapolis on Tuesday. 

Greater Minnesota outlier? 

It’s widely expected that Democrats will do well nationwide come November and are expected to take control of the House and possibly the Senate. One Minnesota district could serve as an outlier. 

In Minnesota’s 6th Congressional District, Rep. Tom Emmer, the House majority whip, easily prevailed in the Republican primary. He finished with 44,534 votes according to Secretary of State final results. But Doug Chapin, who ran unopposed on the DFL side, got 42,616. 

The district, which includes St. Cloud – a city hit hard by federal occupation during the height of Operation Metro Surge – has some 515,000 registered voters and is one that Trump carried by 20 percentage points in 2024. Tuesday’s results show that gap being closed greatly. Minnesota’s 6th isn’t widely considered “in play,” but Republicans may have to spend extra resources there and in similar formerly “safe” districts to protect any chance at holding a majority in the House.